Spring Break
Teams take 1st, 2nd in challenge
Andres Cuevas Jr.
Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: News
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Sac State took two teams of 10 students to the competition. The first place team was made up of all construction management students and the second place team was made up of half construction management students and half civil engineering students.
Matthew Ward, construction management major and captain of the team that earned first place, said he enjoyed working together with civil engineers.
"I really enjoyed working with the civil engineers because normally we don't work together on things like this," Ward said.
Ward said the competition was challenging but interesting at the same time and was something in which he could apply the knowledge he learned in classes into real life.
"There were six different events and they were all very tactical and took different skills in order to succeed," Ward said.
There were eight other schools besides Sac State competing: UC Davis, University of the Pacific, San Francisco State, San Jose State, Chico State, Fresno State, California Polytechnic State University, and Santa Clara University.
Mikael Anderson, professor of construction management, encouraged his students to do this challenge and accompanied the teams as an adviser along with Ramzi Mahmood, professor of civil engineering, who advised a team himself.
"The teams came together at the last minute and they couldn't prepare for the challenges due to the way it was set up," Mahmood said.
Anderson said the teams were set up not very long before the event and students had no way to prepare for the competition.
"The students that participated in the event had no preparation for the six challenge problems, as these problems were introduced as the competition began," Anderson said.
Anderson also said that some of the students on the teams didn't even know each other before the competition began.
"Many of the students first met one another the night before the competition, yet they were still able to adapt and work well as a 10-person team," Anderson said.
The competition set each team up with six challenges and teams earned points based on how well they did on each individual challenge.
The challenges included equipment operation, which was to place four tennis balls in a backhoe bucket; quality control and quality assurance testing, which was to check asphalt density; quantity take-off, estimate and schedule, which was a sample project; GPS model and grade setting, which was to survey a sidewalk, curb and gutter for an intersection; aggregate and hot mix problem, which was to measure material; and also safety awareness, which was to evaluate a construction equipment accident.
Emir Macari, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, said he was very proud of what the students accomplished at the challenge. He said this helps promote the school.
"These accomplishments allow me to showcase the tremendous contributions we are making to our region and our society," Macari said.
Macari gives credit to both the students as well as the faculty for the great accomplishments.
"Our students come from working class families and appreciate and understand what it takes to make it in today's world. Also, the (high) quality of our faculty members who really dedicate their lives to educating and training our students," Macari said.
Mahmood said he believes that the fact that Sac State's programs focus on practical applications of skills in the field sets it apart from other schools.
"Students in our department, especially the construction management majors, have a great chance to actually work in the industry as a student," Mahmood said.
Ward said that the big difference between Sac State and other schools are the amount of industries accessible in Sacramento and how it facilitates students making connections with the industry.
"Most students in our department either get internships with companies or at least have a connection with an industry for after graduation," Ward said.
He also said that professors in the construction management department are mostly part time instructors who continue to work in the industry while they teach.
"The professors we have in the department are very experienced and are part of the industry while they also teach, so the information they share with us is very valuable," Ward said.
Macari believes that success in competitions like this helps to attract higher caliber students who normally would not think about going to Sac State.
"We are now attracting students who in the past would have only applied to UC Berkley, UC San Diego or Stanford," Macari said.
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